Back to School...and work

We had a great weekend post vacation-Jake camp-Lucy sleepover week. It was nice to just be us, at home. We did have Sage and her wonderful family over on Saturday night. They are such an easy crew with whom to pass the time. I love that her seemingly quiet husband has become the joking conversationalist as he has come to know us, and that their daughter is now a little chatterbox where she once looked wide-eyed and a little afraid of us. We are not a quiet family with a quiet life. Even on a sleepy day we still have Jake and his unpredictability and Lucy and her wackiness, and me with my drama and need to please and entertain, and two gigantic golden retrievers, and my dear Descartes who by sheer height can worry some people (it's a good thing he has a baby face...).

It's been a good thing to have people over more often. We will figure it out. Now that the backyard has usable space I don't feel like there is nowhere to go. I know we always have enough food and drink, but I worry about trying to crowd people into too small a space...especially people with kids who need a lot of space, or distance from my special kid. If I can just get a grip on the clothing mountains and the paper foothills variously piled throughout closets and corners I'm sure the place will feel bigger. I saw a shed at Costco last night and contemplated putting it in the side yard and calling it my office. (Don't worry mom...I'm kidding)

Driving around the state with Descartes I realize by all of his comments, how happy he would be, how happy each of us would be, if we had a little bit of fenced-in land that was not so close to neighbors. Jake was always so, so happy in Montana, and of course Descartes loves to build things. If my property in north-eastern California were closer, I'm sure we would have a small cabin by now. It would be nice to have it while the kids were little and still wanted to hang out with us, but I am hoping that within ten years we will be able to buy just a few acres...somewhere.. fence it in, make it safe for Jake and be able to relax while Jake plays in the woods (his favorite thing in the world to do). We've talked about buying a place near here in the Santa Cruz mountains. Something close by we could use every weekend if we wanted. I keep checking the ads... one day we will find the perfect place.

Jake went back to school this morning and Descartes went back to work. They both put on cheerful faces before they left the house, but I know that neither one of them enjoyed getting up this morning. Lucy and I have already had breakfast and played the www.pbskids.org Caillou games. I do not understand her obsession with this whiny, balding, four year old kid, but the television family seems decent enough and he gets busted when he's mean to his sibling, so the lessons aren't bad at all. I need to get Lucy her own computer. Something sturdy she and Jake can use. Jake has always loved computer at school, and with more help and practice it could be a very useful tool for him... and Lucy wants to "move da mouse squeak squeak" and "Click now? Click now? Now mommy?" So I am thinking she's ready too.

Lucy meets her new day care provider this afternoon, but first she must go to her 2 year old appointment. Will there be shots? Hmm must remember to bring lollipops.